We will only survive by sticking together – Mick McCarthy issues rallying cry to Ipswich Town

That is Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy’s message to the club’s players and supporters following Saturday’s humiliating 6-0 defeat at Leicester City.

The result followed hot on the heels of a 5-0 thrashing at Crystal Palace, the Blues’ goal difference now standing at an embarrassing minus 25.

Town have ground out wins over lesser Championship opposition in the form of Birmingham City and Burnley in recent weeks though and if McCarthy can replicate his record of one and a half points a game over the final 29 matches then Championship safety should be assured.

The straight-talking Blues boss admitted his side’s latest display was ‘abject’ and ‘awful’, but he delivered his post-match assessment with a sense of calm and perspective.

“The only way we’ll survive and thrive is by being together,” said McCarthy, who made a point of shaking the hand of every one of his shell-shocked players at the full-time whistle before sending them over to recognise the 990 travelling fans who had endured another painful away day.

“After a defeat like that there are generally some that are pointing fingers and screaming and shouting, but I wasn’t like that because there’s no point.

“It was a poor performance, but I’ve got to keep everyone together and in the right frame of mind to go again for the next one.”

In what is rapidly looking like a five-team fight for safety at the bottom, Ipswich host a Peterborough side just one point below them in the table on Saturday.

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18 comments

Cyril I agree with most of your remarks as usual. The managers continue to take the rap but the real problems exixt further up the chain and it is becoming increasingly obvious that this Town job is rapidly becoming a poisened chalice.

Hi Kevin, you're right I'm wrong. I saw both the cup replays against Leeds played at Filbert Street Leicester. Think they were on Tuesday & Thursday the same week. We brought 13000 fans to the first game and 10000 plus to the second. Happy days with years of success ahead of us. We'll revive sooner or later but Town fans have become an increasingly grumpy bunch in the past decade.
And yes Old Timer I too remember getting thrashed 6-0 then by Bolton - who were also relegated.

Our ultra leaky defence is horribly reminiscent to an old timer like me to our relegation from the top flight in 19634. That season we were on the receiving end of various hidings with a 10-1 drubbing at Fulham on Christmas Eve taking the biscuit (we beat them 4-2 at Portman Road on Boxing Day I'll hasten to add).Getting back to the Leicester debacle, I saw Town thrashed 5-0 at Filbert Street back in the old 1st Division in 1974.We were flying high at the time and Leicetser were struggling - a certain John Wark also made his debut then. Funny thing about the game was, it was pretty even except that Leicester had 5 chances and put them all away. Fast forward to the present and we currently have a strongish squad on paper but their morale is fragile and they just aren't gelling as a unit. Still I think Mick McCarthy will keep us up this season and then we can hopefully begin to arrest our longterm decline.

As I - & several others have said before - surely now is the time to give some of the younger players a chance - as they will at least have some pride in their team - something which can never be the case with temporary loanees. I accept this may not be the solution & may end up in relegation - but at least we would start the following season with a youung team that have gained valuable experience. Again it may well be in the short term that we have more chance of staying up by using the exoperience of older loanees - but this system does seem to have been discredited over 2 seasons - & maybe it is the time for something radical - young hungry ITFC players who have some pride in wearing the Suffolk Punch on their shirts ????????? Once again I feel ME & Clegg have got it wrong if they really have offered MM 1 million to keep us in the championship. This will inevitably lead to McCarthy getting in more loanees & trying to scrape together enough points to scramble away from the dreaded drop.Certainly there would be no incentive for him to be bold & start building for the future & we would start next season in exactly the same position. As I say I fully accept that youth would be a gamble & I may well be completely wrong to advocate this - but on the other hand the current system is clearly not working & it is hard to see how a change in direction can make things a lot worse ?????? I accept wholesale changes may be foolish - but what harm can it do to spice things up by including some young blood who want to make a name for themselves. Loach & Smith should be recalled & Hyam & Carson given an extended run in the team. Hewitt would seem a better choice than our latest loanee & I feel the fans would get behind their own players - of course as many have said we will not return to the glory days but we could at least return to the traditions that once made us great & have a young vibrant team ???????

Peter Samuels, I have tried to make your point so many times unfortunately there are so many on this site that will not put the blame where it belongs, Kean and PJ have taken the flack now its MM, but who appointed them and then failed to support them ME.
Paul the alien seems to believe it will be MM who signs the players but of course it will not, it will only happen if our owner has a change of hear and puts his hand in his pocket.

A lot of negativity on here. One can understand the fans frustration to a certain degree, but MM is right we've got to keep faith with the present playing squad..Whats the alternative?..
There is much poison being directed at club chairman (owner) Marcus Evans, this is particularly unfair. Lets not forget M.E payed of a £32 million debt at the outset. he made it clear at the time that there would need to be a period of belt tightening in order to put Ipswich Town back on track. I'm sure if we stand by the club, keep attending in high numbers, and most importantly stop all this cruel name checking the players and senior staff, then things will improve for everyone..

Unfortunately, Old Timer, I do not share your opinion that the youth are the way forward. I do however, believe that as long as we are in touch of 21st by January we will stay up. What must happen in January is that McCarthy sorts out the loan situation, signs those whom he wants and simply gets rid of those who are just not for the club. He also needs to get rid of abject players such as Lee Martin who when I saw his name on the teamsheet on Saturday I simply sat there and thought, why? What has he done to deserve it? I support Mich McCarthy and think he will get us out of trouble but Ido think Peterborough we could certainly do with 3 points from!

Come the January transfer window know doubt we will here that certain players were wanted, but the club will only get them in if they match up to the clubs value.Given this is what we have heard for the previous two seasons now I see no way forward, all the players recently linked with the club we are led to believe have fallen into this bracket but if you look at the clubs they are now at then you see there is a difference at Ipswich to other clubs as to what value players have i cant find one player linked with town in previous months who is not in a top ten club,this then leads me to question the real ambition of the people running the club and I don't mean the manager.

There really is no point shouting and screaming at the players as it isn't their fault that they aren't good enough for the championship. Most have been discarded by their former clubs for this very reason so we shouldn't be surprised or angry when they fail here. The main reason we signed them is that they were cheap and available, apart from Martin who was expensive and available.

ITFC will only survive by getting rid of its present owner and his hangers-on. Everything, everything, everything wrong with the club (club is of course an inappropriate word) can be laid at their door. Everything. He must go now.